Composition for treating coal



contact.

Patented May 20, 1941 PATENT OFFICE COMPOSITION FOR mama com.

Werner E. Kleinicke, Coalwood, W. Va., assignor to The Johnson-March Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing.

Application November 8, 1938,

Serial No. 239,509

7 Claims.

This invention relatesto a compositionfor the treatment of coal and to the resultant coal.

Heretofore it has been known to treat coal with mineral oils within a wide range of viscosities to render it dustless. Treatment of coal with mineral oil is generally recognized as possessive of various disadvantages. Thus, while mineral oil on application is relatively efiicacious to allay dust, it gives to the coal a disagreeable odor.

Again, it. repels water and negatives the temperl0 ing of the coal with water to obtain better results a during combustion. a-film or coating of v mineral oil applied to coal, especially high volatile and porous Western coal, is impermanent in that in the course of a comparatively short time the film or coating of oil is absorbed by the coal or otherwise dissipated. Again, considerable dimculties are encountered in the treatment of washed coals and those of high natural surface moisture, where it is found substantially impossible to coat the coal with a' uniform and coherent surface film, with the ultimate result that,

upon drying,- it will have but a spotty treatmentand be unsatisfactory in respect to dustlessness.

Again, coal-treated with mineral oil will stain any surface, such as concrete floors and wooden storage bins, with which it may come in contact during the course of It is easily seen that the property of staining surfaces does oii'end not only the demand for clean fuel, but creates,

in the case of wooden bins, a potential fire hazard.

The composition in accordance with this in-' vention is highly advantageous for the economical treatment of coal and among other effects renders it dustless and resistant to the action of water without, at the same time, deleteriously eifecting its free-flowing characteristic or rendering it malodorous or resistant to tempering with water.

Also, the composition is'weil adapted to coat coal 40 Coal treated with the composition according .to this invention is'contemplated as part of and within the scope of this invention. I

The composition in accordance with this invention will include any suitable mineral oil and 0' rosin. 'The oil will desirably be a relatively heavy or viscous oil, but generally speaking may be'a' mineral oil having a preferred viscosity at 1".pfnotlessthan200secondsasdeterminedby some cases lighter oils may be used: it e., oils possessing a Saybolt Universal viscosity at 100 F. of as low as 100 seconds. Generally speaking, a'heavy orviscous mineral oil willbe used and petroleum Jellies, Vaseline, or the like, may comprise the mineral oil and such are contemplated as included within the-term "mineral o as used herein and in the claims appended hereto in connection with this invention.

By way of example, the rosin and mineral oil may be used in the ratio of 1 part by weight of rosin to 9 parts by weight of mineral oil and 1 part by weight of rosin to 1 part by weight of mineral oil, variously, depending. upon the particular coal treated, the particular qualities required for the composition and for the treated coal, and various other factors.

By way of more specific illustration of the particular composition, for example, a suitable composition for the treatment of coal may be prepared with the use of 2 parts by weight of mineral oil, having a universal viscosity at 100 F. of 600, and 1 part by weight of common rosin Again, a composition advantageously adapted for the treatment of coal may comprise 1 part by weight of Vaseline and 1 part by weight of common rosin.

In preparing the composition in accordance with this invention, themineral oil and rosin will be thoroughly admixed at an' elevated tempera-' ture of about the melting point of the rosin.

The composition in accordance with this in vention exhibits the following general characterhas been found toexhibit the remarkable quality -of emulsif ng water to almost twice its weight with the formation of a water irr oil emulsion.

When water is emulsified in'the composition, the 4 composition will form an opaque, almost white,

or ,light colored paste, which will be non-emulsiiiable inand repellent to water. This principle or characteristic of the composition, I believe, is

y'responsible for the. important fact that when applied as a coating or to coal, it does not prevent tempering of the coal with water. As has been-indicated. coal with'tbe composition nee with this invention -may be effectively teinpered with water. It is my belief that the Soybolt Universal Instrument, in itwheir water is applied to coal treated with the composition and in accordance with this invention, water is taken up in internal phase in the composition coated on the coal and in such condition acts to effectively temper the coal.

The characteristic of the composition according to this invention of taking up water in internal phase and thereupon becoming non-emulsifiable, renders the composition effectively resistent to washing off as where treated coal is stored outdoors and is subject to the action of rain. Where the treated coal is stored outdoors and is rained upon, the composition coated on the coal takes up water in internal .phase and becomes repellent to water and resistant to the washing action of the rain. Hence, the characteristic of the composition in taking up water in internal phase and thereupon becoming nonemulsiflable and water-repellent promotes the permanency of the composition after its application to coal.

The ability of taking up water in internal phase is also believed responsible for the fact that moist coal may easily and efliciently be treated with this composition.

It is of importance to note that the rosin-oil composition possesses a slight, but very pleasant resinous scentJwhile. themal-odorous properties of the mineral oil can no longer be detected. Coal treated with this composition is entirely odorless at ordinary temperatures. At elevated temperatures, the pleasant odor of the rosin may again be detected, but not so the obnoxious one of the mineral oil. This property is one whereby coal treated with applicants composition may be distinguished from coal coated with plain mineral oils or Vaselines. Another desirable and distinguishing property of coal treated with applicants composition is that it will not stain surfaces with which it may come in contact. Even such absorbent materials, as paper, wood or cardboard, are unable to withdraw part of the composition from the surface of the coal.

Further, it has been found that certain types of very porous bituminous coals requiring, for instance, one gallon of 600 viscosity oil per ton of coal for adequate treatment, required but three quarters of a gallon per ton for absolute and penmanent dust agglutination.

The new composition may be applied in the conventional manner by high pressure sprays, and, preferably, while heated. The amounts necessary for proper and lasting dust agglutination vary, of course, with the type of coal, but it may be said that only in extremely rare cases the amount applied per ton of fuel need exceed one gallon.

If it is desired to eliminate all fire hazard contingent to most atomized organic materials a-pplicant's composition may be emulsified in water by means of chemicals which, after application to the coal will evaporate with the emulsiflcation water, or otherwise lose their original dispersing power, and thus leave on the coal a mixture of mineral oil and rosin displaying all of the characteristics described heretofore. By way of example, one part of applicant's composition, for

' rosin, but upon evaporation of the water on the coal, the ammonia will also disappear and leave applicant's original composition as a coating on the coal. The emulsion will be more liquid, it besides ammonia, one-tenth part of soda ash is added. After evaporation of the watery ammonia, the soda ash will, of course, remain behind together with the mixture of mineral oil and rosin, but will not be eifective to produce reemulsiflcation, and all characteristics of the coating will conform with the terms of this specification. Again, applicant's composition may be emulsified in water by means of colloidal clays in the known manner. Upon evaporation of such emulsions, the clay will stay behind on the coal, but surrounded by the mixture of mineral oil and rosin, and in this state, the clay is no longer capable to bring about a water-external emulsion.

The composition and treatment in accordance with this invention in no way deleteriously eflects the burning qualities of the coal and, indeed, as has been indicated, since coal treated in accordance with this invention may be tempered with water for improvement in its combustion, the

composition lends itself to improved combustion.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l, A non-aqueous composition for treating coal in the form of free-flowing, separate particles or fragments to render 'it clean and dustless, said composition comprising a petroleum oil having a universal viscosity at F. not substantially less than 100 and rosin in solution therein in the ratio of one part of resin to nine parts of petroleum oil to one part of rosin to one part of petroleum oil by weight, the said solution being non-hardening and non-evaporable under atmospheric conditions.

2. A composition for treating coal in the form of free-flowing, separate particles or fragments to render it clean and dustless, said composition comprising a petroleum oil having a universal viscosity at 100 F. not substantially less than 100 and rosin in solution therein in the ratio of one part of rosin to nine parts of petroleum oil to one part of rosin to one part of petroleumoil by weight, the said solution being non-hardening and non-evaporable under atmospheric conditions.

3. A composition for treating coal in the form of free flowing, separate particles or fragments to render it clean and dustless, said composition comprising a petroleum oil having a universal viscosity at 100 F. within the range 100 'to 600 and rosin in solution therein in the ratio of one part of rosin'to nine parts of petroleum oil to one part of rosin to one part of petroleum oil by weight, the said solution being non-hardening and non-evaporable, under atmospheric conditions.

4. A composition for treating coal in the form of free-flowing, separate particles or fragments to render it clean and dustless, said composition comprising about two parts by weight of petroleum oil having a universal viscosity at 100 F. within the range 100-600 and about one part by weightof rosin in. solution therein, the said solution being non-hardening and non-evaporable under atmospheric conditions.

5. A combustible fuel comprising separate, free-flowing particles or fragments of coal surface coated with a thin. film of a composition comprising a petroleum oil having a universal viscosity at 100 F. of not substantially less than 100 and rosin in solution therein in the ratio of one part of rosin to nine parts of petroleum oil to one part of rosin to one part of petroleum oil by weight, the said coating being characteri ed '7. A combustible fuel comprising separate, free-flowing particles or fragments of coal surface coated with a thin film of a composition comprising about two parts by weight of petroleum oil having a universal viscosityat 100 F. within the range 100-600 and about one part by weight of rosin in solution therein, the said coating being characterized by the fact that it is non-hardening and non-evaporable under atlo mospheric conditions.

WERNER E. KLEINICKE. 

